Forget about the car companies, this is the original hybrid. A cross between a Scotch Ale, an India Pale Ale and an American Brown, Indian Brown Ale is well-hopped and malty at the same time (It's magical!).

The beer has characteristics of each style that inspired it: the color of an American Brown, the caramel notes of a Scotch Ale, and the hopping regiment of an India Pale Ale. We dry-hop the Indian Brown Ale in a similar fashion to our 60 Minute IPA and 90 Minute IPA. This beer is brewed with Aromatic barley and organic brown sugar.

Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by freed:

This was a surprise, even with the label telling me it was a brown india ale. It poured a deep mahogany, and had a very peaty aroma. There wasn't any head either. There wasn't any definitive hop aroma either, which surprised me.

The taste was wonderful after the first shocking sip. It took a moment for me to realize it wasn't an IPA. But then I enjoyed it tremendously. It has a very rich flavor. I split the 12oz bottle with my wife, so maybe 6oz is the perfect serving size? I'll have to try again.

More User Reviews:

Presentation: 12 oz brown long neck bottle with “Packaged In” date on the side of the label.

Appearance: Deep brown bordering black, tiny bubbled but foamy head that stays strong and does not want to go anywhere.

Smell: Herbal and floral hop aroma on top of an unsweetened chocolate and caramelized sugar that some close to a light molasses. Touch of alcoholic esters and dark fruity undertones are detected.

Taste: Fiercely smooth with a layer and complex mouth feel of the medium body. Intricate within the malt flavours ranging from burnt sugar to light roasted malt, nutty almost chocolate to dark bread. Hops are well within the threshold and wield an oily bitterness, flavours tag right along with herbal and floral to the point of being nearly sweet. Mild alcoholic esters with a light mix berry and currant fruitiness. Unsweetened chocolate flavour unfolds slowly on to the taste buds middle to end, close to a carob flavour. Veggie hop finish with remnants of the toasted and roasted malts in the after taste.

Notes: A big yet somewhat humble brown ale, all the flavours and complexities are there but none really want to be dominant. This could be considered a stock or strong ale due to its 7.2% abv, look at it as a sizeable brown ale. An impressive brew.

Great brown color. Very little carbonation. Thick head when poured, but disappeared shortly afterward. Nice caramel smell. Very drinkable, not a lot of bite at all. Smooth going down as well, not heavy.

Wow this is no brown mild!This pours a nice deep brown with light had that stuck a little to the sides of the glass,the aroma was pretty nutty and a little bitter sweet.Taste was well unexpected,it had the nutty,earthy qualities of a brown ale but it also had a very alcoholic note to it as well.A real good beer but I couldnt have more than one or two.

Appearance  Very dark in color with a beautiful reddish hue. The head was awesome as it foamed up nicely and dropped slowly down to shallow pond level. This big 7.2 ABV Brown Ale left a film on the inside of my glass, too.

Smell  This smells like a stout. The big coffee and chocolate aroma is laced with brown sugar, roasted malts, and a bit of caramel.

Taste  Again, the giant coffee and chocolate tastes dominate. Theres a nice hop balance in there as well.

Mouthfeel  Quite creamy and smooth for such a big ale. Its on the fuller side of medium-bodied and hides the high ABV well.

Drinkability  I dont know if Id call it a Brown Ale, but this was good and went down nicely.

This brew gets a perfect score from me. It was a guest beer on tap at Willibrew. All I can say is AWESOME!! So much more tasty than your average Brown. Much more like a Stout in appearance, smell, taste, etc. Had that Stout chocolate and coffee taste and nose, with a bit more hoppiness than you find in a Stout. GREAT COMBO!!

Update: I've since tried this brew in a 12oz. bottle, poured into a pilsner glass, and I was a bit less impressed with it but it was still very good.

A: This beer pour a deep amber with excellent clarity. The rocky light tan head settles to a thin cap but never goes away.

S: Rich malt aromas dominate with notes of moderate chocolate, moderately-light caramel and toasty malt. The is backed up by a moderately-light earthy and foloral hops aroma. There is a some of alcohol and a touch of dark fruit esters like raisins and plums.

T: Caramel malt and earthy, spicy hops dominate the flavor with a moderately-high bitterness. Moderately-high citrus hops and a moderate chocolate with a moderately-light caramel and a little bit of toast. There is some malt sweetness in the middle but the balance is bitter that linger long into the finish. There a soft sweetness form the alcohol. Very light fruit esters.

M: Moderately-light bodied with moderately-high carbonation. There is both a creaminess about the body and a low prickling astringency. A noticeable amount of alcohol warming.

O: Carmel and a alcohol dominate this beer in most aspects in a balanced ways. It is a very enjoyable blend of the American Brown and IPA styles, this beer has a rich malty base and a solid hops bitterness. This could be classified as a robust porter and a good one at that.

This is deep, dark, molasses colored beer with a short, spongy head, about the same color as the inside of a malted milkball. he head doesn't last but keeps a thin and blotchy surface layer. Nose is alcohol, rich caramel, dark cherry, fresh grains.

Hoestly, this must be the 10th time I've had this and I still don't really have this beer figured out but it's damn tasty. Taste starts out fruity and yes, nutty. Seamlessly morphs over to the bitter side and though there are definately hops here, they really are behind the scenes, pushing more of cane syrup sort of bitter. With great ease, it all settles into a meekly flavored or light roast coffee taste as the beer goes flat in the mouth. Alcohol peeks out here and there but on many sips is undetectable. Hops finally show themselves for the finish/ aftertaste.

Lovely mouthfeel is mid-bodied with little carbonation and is so right-on for a brown. This is one of the best beers I've ever had seriously.

T-M- Taste upfront is a massive burst of firey carmel malts and brown sugar. Later in the backbone of the beer a hoppy tang with a smooth alcohol zest. Mouthfeel is nice and coffee like with good flavors remaining on the tongue for about five seconds after sipping.

D- Good all round brown ale, by far one of the easyest to drink and at a higher alcohol than most. Great beer.

this was a very isnteresting brew. it is very balanced between a malty brown ale and a hoppy IPA. this balance is difficult to acquire so that makes this a very special brew. it maintains qualities of a full bodied brown ale while also having a hoppy kick that doesnt interfere with the maltiness. it also has roasted malty and coffee-like characteristics which increases the drinking experience.

A: Dark walnut brown, clear on the pour, with a thin light brown head that receded quickly to a frothy ring. Light lacing.

S: Earthy smells, peat & wood chips combine with dark rich malts.

T: Coffee flavors are the foremost in the malt but there is also some nice chocolate and caramel undertones, and some nut flavors as well. Not sure what the bittering is coming from but it brings the brew just shy of balance, leaving way for some of the complex malt sweetness to come through. The finish relatively long and malty.

M&D: Nice heavy full mouthfeel matches perfectly with the flavors at hand. The carbonation is light and tight, making for a very smooth and creamy texture. I'm not a huge "Brown Ale" guy but this really was good.

A moderately aggressive pour into an imperial pint glass yields a solid finger of creamy, dark tan foam on top of a coffee-colored, slightly translucent brew. Head dissipates slowly, leaving a ring that doesn't want to go away.

Nice chocolate smell with some coffee and grassy, herbal notes from the relatively high hop content. Some sweet citrus rounds it out.

Definite chocolate and coffee flavors without too much sweetness; not a dessert brown ale like some. Ends up crisp and dry with grassy and herbal flavors and leaves a nutty finish that lasts and lasts. The coffee flavors are better than most coffee, even most good coffee.

Shockingly smooth (especially considering the ABV) and bewitchingly complex; I could drink this every day.

Pours a deep dark murky brown with crimson hues coming through when held up to the light. A soft bubbly khaki head pops up and then falls to a ring around the top. Crisp nose with roasted grain, sweet burnt brown sugar, nuts and some piney hop tones. Both unique and appealing with sticky patchy lacing.

Big first sip brings a healthy dose of roasty, toasty caramel/brown sugar maltiness...smooth with a nice sweetness. A nice clean hop bitterness hits on the back of the palate and accentuates the flavor nicely. Dark molasses with a hint of fresh baked bread.

Good, full bodied brew that makes itself known on the palate. A tasty brown ale that I could easily have a few of. Another quality DFH brew.